Gift of the Magi
by sakuramae
Summary: A small dedication to author O. Henry, who wrote the original story. This is a Quall pairing. And, no, there is no Rinoa bashing in this story.


~Well, here's another one of the Quall stories out there, ppl! Anywayz, some of you know that the original story was written by O. Henry, and it was one of the greatest Christmas stories I have read so far, and this is my tribute! As usual, the characters here don't belong to me, they belong to whoever owns them. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

The Gift of the Magi: Final Fantasy 8 Style 

For those of you who don't know how it is to become a Magi, let me tell you, for the value of the present is not its importance, but the fact that the whole heart is placed in the gift-giving. This story is about a couple with nothing to give but their hearts to each other. Here is their story.

Quistis looked out the window, depressed and downcast as she remembered that it was Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve and she had no money to give to her beloved. Oh how she wished she could buy something for her Squall! All she's got was 100G, and this was not even enough to buy the cheapest gift in the stores. Oh, what shall she do? Nothing will suit her love at all! Her beautiful blue eyes began to fill with tears.

The household was quite a disaster, for after Squall's decrease in salary (from 30000G now to 1000G) due to the Balamb Depression, he's been scraping for as much money as possible to furnish themselves. Their house was shabby, with hardly any furniture inside to comfort them, and the heating this year was being harsh. It took all their money to keep alive.

Now there were two things that the Leonharts both possessed that were so special. One was Squall's lion ring and the other was Quistis' beautiful Save the Queen. If the president of Esthar came by, Squall would take out his ring and wear it around his neck with a small string tied around it and shows it off to the world. And, if the richest woman would come to visit, Quistis would no doubt show off her Save the Queen and have a small practice session in show. These possessions were very valuable to them.

Quistis watched her reflection in the glass, tears still splashing at the windowsill. A flash of gold caught her eye and she jumped up immediately, overjoyed. Then, a sudden sickness came over her. She paled, and sunk back to her chair. With all the effect she could muster, she unhooked her whip and handled it lovingly. Then, grabbing her coat and hat, she rushed out of her small apartment.

She rushed into the jeweler's shop and held her whip out at the owner. "How much will you pay for this?"

The owner looked at it with an analyzing eye and spoke, "5000G."

Quistis's hands shook as she gave her possession to the owner in exchange for 5000G. She hurriedly left the store and went in search of Squall's special gift.

After almost tearing every store down like a tornado would, she found the perfect present for her beloved. It screamed out his name, as if it really did belong to him. The silver gleamed and Quistis knew this was it. She gladly paid for the beautiful silver chain with her 5080G and was left with only 20G. When Squall sees this, now he's got more reason to take out his ring and wear it with the silver chain!

Coming home, she wrapped the gift and placed it on the table. Quistis then began to prepare dinner, whistling to herself. The door opened up, and Squall came in, exhausted. Quistis said a little silent prayer to herself, begging that Squall didn't kill her and bounded up to him. Squall came in, tired and irritated. Poor fellow, just barely four and twenty, to be so poor at this time.

"You're home! I'm glad!" she cried out, hugging him. Her eyes filled with joy, "Come! Warm up and have some dinner."

Squall watched her, smoky gray eyes pensive. Then, as if it struck him, he spoke. "Quistis, your whip, where have you placed it?"

Quistis shook her head, still smiling. "Oh, don't worry about it. It was nothing but a toy, anyway. I would much prefer an ordinary whip to use."

"Yes, dear, but where is it?"

"I sold it to buy you a present, Squall," Quistis answered, watching his reaction. She knew she had shocked him, but the look in his eyes showed more than shock. She couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment.

Quistis went to get the box and handed it to Squall. "Open it, and you'll see that the trade was worth it."

Squall opened the package, and in it was the silver chain for his lion ring. He paled and slumped onto a chair. The look in his eyes showed anxiety and worry. Quistis watched him with concern. "What's wrong, Squall? You don't like it?"

"No, Quisty, it's not that," he forces a smile, "It's the best thing I could ever get…but look."

He threw a package onto the table. "Quisty, I sold my ring to get you a present. That's the reason why I was shocked when you told me you sold your whip."

With trembling hands, Quistis opened the package. She cried out with joy and then burst into tears. She had received a leather belt with gold lining that matched her Save the Queen. Now, she remembered that she sold her whip and won't be able to show off her matching present. Squall hugged her.

"We'll put these away for now, Quisty," he said, comforting her, "Come, where is the warm dinner you promised? I am hungry."

Quistis let out a bubbly laugh and led her husband to the kitchen where they shared a loving dinner at Christmas Eve.

Now, as wise people would say, this couple was foolish. For what could they have done but sold off the most valuable things in possession just so they could get something else that would sooner be of no use to them? But, they loved each other, and the strength of their hearts was great. Of all the wise gift-givers there are in the world, these two were the wisest. For it is not the gift, but the effort and love that goes into the present that is special.

~Ah, well, not my best work, but I've written this a while ago, and I never had the energy to put it up (seeing the fact that it wasn't December and all…).


End file.
